Yesterday, we ran a poll to fill the 2 open slots on the Canes blue line for opening night for the 2015-16 NHL season. You can find that post and the polls and vote HERE.
Today, we ask the same question for forwards.
With the addition of Kris Versteeg and Joakim Nordstrom on Friday and the likelihood that the Canes are now set at forward heading into training camp, the Canes have mostly stocked the forward lines but do have an opening or two remaining.
On 1-way NHL contracts and almost certain to make the opening night roster if healthy are Eric Staal, Jordan Staal, Jeff Skinner, Kris Versteeg, Nathan Gerbe, Riley Nash, Jay McClement, Brad Malone, Andrej Nestrasil and Chris Terry. Victor Rask and Elias Lindholm are both technically on 2-way contracts but are also almost 100% certain to be in the NHL. That makes 12. With the expectation that the Canes would carry 13 forwards that leaves 1 opening to for sure to won in training camp with the potential for more if there are injuries.
So who wins a 1st and possibly 2nd open spot at forward for the start of the 2015-16 regular season. And if you are daring enough to try it pre-training camp, feel free to take a 1st shot at line combinations in the comments.
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Go Canes!
No matter who the Canes select, it sure looks better in Charlotte. I would be excited to have season tickets at the new “Bo”!
This was muuuuch harder than projecting the defensive line up. While you indicated it might take daring to project the lines, I can’t see how you could choose among the forwards for the last spot without doing so, as it determines which line spot(s) most likely need to be filled. So with that being said, I think this is where the organization stands before training camp:
EStaal – Rask – Lindholm
(2L?) – JStaal – Versteeg
Skinner – Nash – (3R?)
Malone – McClemment – (4R?)
So I think that this is how we are going into training camp position-wise. Now who gets those three positions and who is the healthy scratch? Of the one-way contracts remaining we have Gerbe(L), Nestrasil(L), and Terry(L). I don’t think any of them belongs on the 2nd line skill wise, but as I don’t think we will put a rookie there either and Skinner has had defensive issues, I think that it comes down to either Gerbe or Nesty. I think BP is will roll the dice with Nesty on the 2nd line there to make that like a strong possession 1st line and hope that the combination of JStaal and Versteeg click to give it enough offense. That then puts the 3rd and 4th line RWs up for grabs. Neither Terry or Gerbe are right shots, so that doesn’t help. I’m tempted to slide Gerbe all the way down to the forth line due to his energy and also because he just shoots such a low percentage that I think that will hurt Nash and Skinner’s offensive numbers on what I think is going to be an opportunistic scoring third line. So I end up with:
EStaal – Rask – Lindholm
Nestrasil – JStaal – Versteeg
Skinner – Nash – Terry
Malone – McClemment – Gerbe
So, who then do we take to fill the 13th spot and rotate between the press box and the bench? It won’t be a 1st year pro because that will hurt their development to sit in the press box, so Tolchinsky et. al. are out. It’s probably not someone who only plays center, we don’t need that at this point. So, my best guess is whoever plays better between Di Giuseppe and McGinn. Di Gieseppe was called out by at least one media site as having had a good Traverse City Tournament and BP said he thought McGinn did well there too. However, I went with Di Giuseppe as my 13th to move in and out of the line up with Terry depending on how the lines need to be balanced game to game.
I went with Ryan and Tolchinsky out of optimism, because those are the two guys who I think have the best chance of being impact players, while most of the rest I think I’d cap at 30pt forward at best.
I don’t think the Canes have the firepower elsewhere to be plugging the lineup with serviceable but limited players like Nordstrum and Boychuk.
If Bill Peters goes with the line he was ruminating about earlier this summer then this is what I think happens:
EStaal/Rask/Lindholm
Skinner/JStaal/Nestrasil or Versteeg
Terry/Nash/Nestrasil or Versteeg
Gerbe/McClement/Malone
Di Giuseppe
If he pairs the Staals on a line then I think it looks like this:
EStaal/JStaal/Versteeg
Skinner/Rask/Lindholm
Terry/Nash/Nestrasil
Gerbe/McClement/Malone
Di Giuseppe
I just think PDG is going to surprise people at camp this year and force his way into the conversation. I also am warming to the 2nd option as I really like a Skinner/Rask/Lindholm line, especially with reports that Victor Rask was really doing serious strength training this summer.
I don’t think he puts Skins on the same line as JStaal. It just takes away too much of JStaal’s ability to really drive possession when he has to watch for Jeff’s inconsistent defensive play. Similarly, I think you want to protect the pairing of Rask/Lindholm from someone who is inconsistent like Jeff as well so they develop better playing habits. This is why I put Jeff on the third line with an experienced Nash as the center. Ideally, I would LOVE to see Tolchinsky paired with Rask and Lindholm, but I can’t see him making the club this year with the contracts we already have. Now next year when Gerbe and Versteeg’s contracts are up and if they are not retained, that will give him plenty of room on the roster without making the team collectively too small.
I’d go with
E. Staal-J. Staal-Versteeg
Skinner-Rask-Lindholm
Gerbe-Nash-Nestrasil
Malone-McClement-Nordstrom
Versteeg is a creative player, playing with two big bodies in the Staals gives him plenty of open space. Skinner-Rask-Lindholm showed some good chemistry last year, hopefully Nash can play like he did in October/November last year, Gerbe is a good energy player with a decent scoring touch for the bottom six, and Nestasil brings good size/physicality and a decent scoring touch. Malone-McClement were great the second half last year, and I thikn Nordstrom is a perfect fit on a defensively sound energy line.